Today, the Senate voted to pass SB 39, an expansive bill which aims to strip coverage of medical care for transgender people from the Georgia State Health Benefit Plan. In less than 24 hours, over 200 Georgia medical providers have already signed an open letter strongly opposing SB 39 and similar bans on care.
Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, shared the following statement in response:
“We are extremely disappointed by the State Senate’s passage of SB 39 today. The government shouldn’t be able to overrule a person’s decision to seek health care for themselves and their families– whether they are transgender or not.
The Georgia State Health Benefit Plan currently covers over half a million Georgians, including employees of state agencies, public schools, and retirees. Repaying our dedicated public servants by stripping away medical coverage for themselves and their families is disrespectful to their commitment to our state and unconscionable.
While proponents of SB 39 centered transgender youth and “surgeries” in their testimony today, this bill goes far beyond what proponents advertise– applying to transgender people of all ages and banning any medical care associated with the treatment of gender dysphoria, from hormone treatments to mental health support. It is government overreach, plain and simple.
Restrictions on healthcare are some of the most extreme political attacks in recent history. Allowing politicians to overrule experts when it comes to medical care– care that is supported by every major U.S. medical professional association– creates a slippery slope in which politicians can meddle in anyone’s private medical decisions.
In October 2023 via Rich v. Georgia, the State of Georgia agreed to stop denying coverage of transgender medical care in the Georgia State Health Benefit Plan. SB 39 conflicts with existing judicial precedent, inviting further litigation which Georgia tax-payers would have to foot the bill for. Proponents of the bill repeatedly argued today that tax-payers should not support medical care for transgender people, while those same proponents would use tax-payer money to defend discriminatory and unconstitutional policies in court.
Our lawmakers should be focused on expanding access to healthcare and making it more affordable for more Georgians, not limiting healthcare coverage for an already vulnerable group of people. SB 39 is not aligned with our state’s values and we will continue to fight it as it now moves to the House of Representatives.”
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Founded in 1995, Georgia Equality is the state’s largest advocacy organization working to advance fairness, safety and opportunity for Georgia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and allied communities.
